Since my diagnosis in June of '06, I've been getting used to living with ADD. Honestly, I thought it would be a much easier process.

I think the hardest thing for me is to realize that medication doesn't 'elminate' my ADD. As a student, I think that's why I've been so hesitant to ask for special accomodations. Because asking for them would be acknowledging that I have ADD. And no matter how accpeting I am of my diagnosis, somehow there's this lingering feeling that I'm 'broken.'

I think I'm looking for some wisdom, good words, a pat on the back maybe? :p

If you feel you need accomidations, then by all means get them.
It's not that you are "special" it's to make everything level, or give you
as much of a chance as anyone else to pass the class, etc.
As an ADDer all my life, I meet lots of people that take for granted the ability to do complex math (I can't), or understand instructions on how to build things (I can't).
They take for granted the ability to remember things short term, whereas I have a bad short term memory.
So, it's not like you are getting an advantage, but you are getting a chance to be on the same level, not be "like everyone else."
We have so many advantages already because of ADD, such as long memories, the ability to do many things at one time because our minds work that way, etc.
If you need accomidations, then get them.
But if the meds give you enough to compete equally with others in the class, so be it.
I've fought this all my life, and I'm thankful for the gifts ADD gives me.
You have those too you just have to find them.

I got lucky because learning about the ADD was basically a gift for me. It was nice to know that I wasn't stupid or lazy like I had been told my whole life. Now that I know what was wrong, I can do everything in my power to fix it. So far it has made all the difference in my life.

I feel like a loser all of the time because ADD has stopped me froming doing what I want to do with my life. Because of this, I will never come to terms with it, and I will hate who I am for the rest of my time on this Earth.

What did you want to do with your life that ADD stopped?

I feel like a loser all of the time because ADD has stopped me froming doing what I want to do with my life. Because of this, I will never come to terms with it, and I will hate who I am for the rest of my time on this Earth.Fm, I am sure as time passes you will be less angry. I know I was livid..and especially at my parents..but I cycled the phases we all seem to go through and ended up accepting it..

Michiko...here's the *pat*....I hope someone can offer words of wisdom :p

Something I learned about ADHD is that things regarding it seem to "click" at different times through out the day

Thanks for the pat Tracy! :)

Michiko, I empathize for you, trust me. I just started taking ADHD medication a few weeks ago and am a student, just like you. I rejected considering medication in college and struggled considerably more than my friends to achieve similar goals. Now in graduate/professional school, living 1500 miles away from family and friends, I'm trying to reconcile what implications ADHD may have with respect to achieving my future career and personal goals. Sometimes I even wonder how I'm going to get through the day, lol.

Although some may argue that you and I are "broken" due to needing medication for ADHD, I'm convinced that the ubiquitously held, simplistic view of what constitutes a "normal" human being is essentially meaningless. "Normal" describes a given distribution in a population, not an individual. Sure, we could desire to be "average" but what excitement is there to be found in mediocrity?

I came across a superlative word to describe what we're going through: the japanese word, "kaizen." Loosely translated it means, "continuous brainstorm," but it can be thought of as the perpetual process of deconstruction, critically evaluating what doesn't work, and reconstructing the parts into a more logical, aesthetically appealing whole. Everyone experiences it.

Just think, with ADHD, the whole process of deconstruction and identifying what doesn't work has been generously expedited for us... Now it's just a matter of reassembling all the pieces in the most logical way to achieve our goals. Certainly easier said than accomplished, but take comfort in knowing that you aren't broken... just human. :)

I'm still having a hard time as well accepting my ADHD. It's hard to think about all the times I could have done better in my studies and all the lost opportunities I've had. But then I have to think at least it's not all my fault and I have to be happy for finding out about it fairly soon (just finishing my first year of college).

I've had my ADD all my life, and was diagnosed and given psychological help at an early age. Not much was known about it, so all the other quirks that were part and parcel of the ADD package were, to me, personal failings. There was so much about myself that I hated and could not seem to be able to change.

Then I started reading up on the newer research and realized how much more of my life was affected by this, and it helped me to come to terms. No longer were these thoughts and behaviors personal failings. No longer were my failed attempts to change them personal failings. There were reasons for all of this.

I was able to tell myself, "this is what it is. Deal with it, live with it, work around it." For me, I didn't have to come to terms with ADD since I'd always known, but I did come to terms with the whole spectrum of ADD once I found it, and very quickly. It was a happy discovery that made me celebrate - As the book title said, I wasn't lazy or stupid. Woohoo!

I am 42 and was diagnosed 2 months ago. I went on medication the day after I found out I was ADHD. The changes in my life are phenomenal.

somehow there's this lingering feeling that I'm 'broken'

I don't think we are broken at all. We are living in a modern, high speed, detail oriented world. My opinion is that thriving and surviving at this particular time in history is more difficult for the ADHD person. Just a few hundred years ago, maybe even just 50 years ago, it might have been a total advantage to be ADHD. Is it possible that the inherited genes that make you ADHD are in you because they enabled your ancestors to survive?

On top of that, we have learned to adapt. But once you have adapted, then corrected your ADHD with the right medication, it's almost now like an advantage.

I have no problem with the actual 'disorder' (after all, nobody is perfect); but I DO have a problem taking medication. It makes me feel...weak...that I have to 'depend' on medication - like it's a crutch for me to get through life...makes me feel less independent.

Other than that the only thing I had to come to to terms with is the general negative perception of ADD by people who know nothing about it (i.e. the people who say you're not trying hard enough (can't TELL you how many times I've heard that one) or the people who tell you that you're using it as an 'excuse to be lazy'). But I generally don't worry too much about what other people say.